Support & Resources

Financial Support through SPECTRUM

Students participating in the SPECTRUM program may be eligible for some financial assistance. The amount of assistance will not exceed $5,000.

If you are accepted to The University of Georgia and the SPECTRUM Undergraduate or SPECTRUM Certification programs, you may be eligible to receive a $5,000 SPECTRUM scholarship. SPECTRUM scholarship recipients are determined competitively based on application requirements. A SPECTRUM scholarship is considered a “service-repayable loan.” Failure to repay this loan in service (in one of our partner high-need school systems as a special education teacher for three years after completing your certification) will result in the requirement to repay funds received.

Other Resources for Financial Support

Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) Grants, Federal Work-Study, loans, and a limited number of scholarships are available through this office to help defray educational expenses at the University of Georgia. OSFA should be your first stop if you are looking for information on aid eligibility, the HOPE Scholarship, or the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). See their “Frequently Asked Questions” for commonly asked questions and contact that office at (706) 542-6147 or osfa@uga.edu.

UGA Tuition and fees

Fall 2007 tuition for 2007 SPECTRUM students was approximately $2,200, including the required technology fee. SPECTRUM students are exempt from student activity fees and transportation fees due to being enrolled in an online program. For latest tuition information, please visit the Bursar's office website at https://busfin1.busfin.uga.edu/bursar/schedule.cfm. Select the semester you wish to start, the locaton ("Athens"), and the program ("College of Education") from the pull-down menus. These amounts are subject to change.

Certification Resources (GACE)

In order to gain admission to SPECTRUM, you are required to pass the GACE Basic Skills Tests I-III. Upon completing the program and before you can be recommended to the Georgia Professional Standards Commission for Certification, you will need to pass the Special Education General Curriculum I & II which allows you to be a consultative teacher. In addition, in order to be the teacher of record for a content area, you will need to take the appropriate Special Education Academic Content Concentration tests (mathematics, science, language arts, social sciences, reading) at the appropriate cognitive level for your teaching placement (P-5, 4-8, 6-12). Additional information and registration details for GACE can be found at: www.gace.nesinc.com.